Tou Xiong and Dai Thao won the election for City Council in Minnesota

SUAB HMONG NEWS (11/04/2015 — Tou Xiong won the election for the Maplewood City Council and Dai Thao won the election for the second term for the St. Paul City Council Ward 1 on November 3rd, 2015.{sidebar id=11} Total votes resulted for Tou Xiong: Tou Xiong 3153 Votes Bryan Smith 2729 Votes Bob Cardinal 2584 Votes Diana Longrie 2053 Votes

I have been a DFLer for the past 8 years working on campaigns and DFL outreach coordination. I serve on the DFL Senate District 53 executive committee since 2014.

I will bring public service and dedication to the the City of Maplewood as City Councilperson. I am currently a Ramsey County Library Board Member, serving the eastern suburban county libraries.

I will bring youth and energy to the City of Maplewood and City Hall. I am 24 years old, and I am very excited about serving the City of Maplewood to capitalize on the renewed Minnesota economy and to maintain the communal nature of our great city.

Dai Thao (Taken from Dai Thao’s website http://www.daithao.org/meet_dai){sidebar id=1} “My whole life has prepared me for the position of Councilmember for Ward 1. I was born in Laos and escaped the communist regime there as a youth. I survived refugee camps in Thailand and came to Minneapolis, where I grew up in a housing project. I know what it means to struggle for survival, to work hard to get ahead, to be determined and to have hope. I was the Information Technology and Facilities Director for Keystone Community Services (formerly Merriam Park Community Services) for seven years. In 2007, I took a Sabbatical to become a community organizer with ISAIAH and TakeAction Minnesota, where I discovered the incredible power people can have when they build relationships with each other and act together to make change. That experience also taught me how elected officials make decisions, reach agreements, and allocate public resources.

“I also learned that we must seize every opportunity to make life better for one another. All these experiences drove home one ultimate lesson: though many forces seek to divide us, our lives are interconnected. No matter our race, culture, faith, or educational background, we share a common reality: high quality of life for me and my children depends on high quality of life for you and yours.

“These are the leadership qualities, values, and determination that I will bring to City Hall to work toward a brighter future for every resident and worker in Ward 1.”